As US President Donald Trump's administration reshapes federal institutions, concerns have emerged about the stability of American intelligence operations, including layoffs at the CIA and the nomination of controversial figures.
However, Finland’s Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) says it remains confident in the reliability of intelligence-sharing with the United States.
The Trump administration has initiated major changes, including offering voluntary resignation packages to CIA employees as part of efforts to cut federal staff. Adding to the uncertainty, Tulsi Gabbard, known for echoing Russian propaganda in public statements, has been nominated for a senior intelligence role.
These developments have raised concerns globally, particularly for Nato allies like Finland, whose national security increasingly depends on intelligence cooperation with the United States.
Despite the changes, Supo’s director, Juha Martelius, says he believes US-Finnish intelligence collaboration remains unaffected.
"Although these appointments are related to the core tasks of the intelligence communities,there is rarely a political dimension that impacts the cooperation or information-sharing we engage in," Martelius told Finnish News Agency STT in an interview.
Martelius made these comments before news of the CIA staff reductions became public. When asked later by email, he declined to provide further comment.
All Points North covered what Trump's administration means for Finland and the intelligence partnership between both countries. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
US internal security concerns
In the United States, worries have been growing over the mishandling of sensitive information. For instance, employees at Elon Musk’s Doge organisation have reportedly been granted access to confidential financial systems and databases, raising questions about the protection of sensitive materials.
When asked whether Finnish intelligence shared with the US could be at risk amid the current turmoil, Martelius maintained a pragmatic stance, saying that intelligence is a business which relies on trust.
"If there is no trust, there is no other cooperation with anyone else. I don't see the intelligence world going in that direction," Martelius said.
"We trust the current arrangements until there is evidence to suggest otherwise," he said, adding, "At this point, there is no reason to [re]assess that trust."